Hiawatha's Rabbit Hunt

Hiawatha's Rabbit Hunt is a 1941 Merrie Melodies cartoon directed by Friz Freleng.^[1] Mel Blanc voiced all characters. This film was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Short Subject (cartoons), but lost to Walt Disney's Lend a Paw (a plot point which will figure into What's Cookin' Doc?). This was the first Bugs Bunny cartoon directed by Friz Freleng.^[2] The short makes several direct references to The Song of Hiawatha, an epic poem by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow.

Hiawatha's Rabbit Hunt
Directed by	I. Freleng
Story by	Michael Maltese
Produced by	Leon Schlesinger
Starring	Mel Blanc
Music by	Carl W. Stalling
Animation by	Gil Turner
Color process	Technicolor
Production company	Leon Schlesinger Productions
Distributed by	Warner Bros. Pictures
Release date	June 7, 1941 (1941-06-07)
Running time	7:30
Language	English

Plot

Bugs is reading The Song of Hiawatha out loud to himself and the saga turns real as a pint-sized, Elmer Fudd-like Hiawatha (minus the speech impediment) turns up, paddling his canoe. Hiawatha is looking for a rabbit for his dinner. Hiawatha manages to trick Bugs into thinking he is preparing a hot bath for him. It is actually a cooking pot, which Bugs quickly vacates once Hiawatha casually mentions that he is having rabbit stew for supper.

Reception

The Film Daily called the short a "very funny cartoon", saying, "the result is a howl from start to finish. The serious-minded Indian's efforts to catch the screwball rabbit for stewing purposes makes a lively and comical race. Bugs Bunny gets better and funnier with every screen appearance."^[3]

Home media

• VHS - Bugs Bunny Cartoon Festival Featuring "Little Red Riding Rabbit" ^[4]
• DVD - Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Academy Awards Animation Collection
• DVD - The Maltese Falcon 3-Disc Special Edition
• Blu-ray - Looney Tunes Platinum Collection: Volume 3.
• LaserDisc - The Golden Age of Looney Tunes, Volume 2, Side 2

Notes

Hiawatha's Rabbit Hunt was one of the 12 Bugs Bunny cartoons that were pulled out of Cartoon Network's June Bugs 2001 marathon by order of AOL Time Warner due to having a negative caricature of a Native American.^[5]